Improvement in methods of preserving fish



.berand that ofthe vessel moistenin time, even for years.

will suffice to illu' UNITED STATES ENOCH- PIPER, -OF

PATENT OFFICE.

CAMDEN, MAINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 31,736.,

To all whom it' may concern.-

Be it known that I, ENOOH PIPER, of Camden, in the county of 'Waldo and lState of Maine, `have invented a new and Improved I Method of Preserving Fish and Meats; and I do hereby declare that the following `is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being' had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciicatioin The nature of my invention consists in'a method of preserving fish and other articles by placing them within a chamber and coolingthe latter by means of a freezing-mixture so applied that no communication shall exist y between the interior of theV preservingchams in -which the freezing-mixture is placed.

4The most important a pplication which I propose to make of m y `invention is for pre# serving salmon7 which are only-taken in large quantities in high northernlatitutes in summer, so reinotefroni our large cities that they can be made available in a fresh state only by artificial congelation.

Hitherto the only method in 'use forA preservingthis kind of sh in a fresh state' has need Marcil i9, 1861.

d in small quant-ities box is surrounded by r other suitable nonin which the fish are lai on a rack, R. The said a packing of charcoal o conducting material.

Vl 2 3 4 are metallic with afreezing-mixture, such as salt and ice,'are then set over the fish, and the cover A. is shut upon them. The temperature in thebox soon falls to l0O or 150 below the freezing-point of water, and in about twe mixture being changed once in twelve lours) the fish will be frozen c After being thus frozen th if desired, be covered wi by immersing them a Afe water, or by applying the or swab several times, one-eighth of an inch` vent the ice from the fish, when th length. of time,"a cover of clot same manner cover t coating'of ice, or the pans," which being e fish or meats may,

water with., forming a coat in thickness.; cracking off I then ey are to be ke To pre.- .apply t0 pt an unusual mand in the he cloth with-` another may' be coated with gum-arabic, india-rubber, gatta-perche, f tin;V

foil, or any suitable sub stance (either in combination or separately) that will 'eiectually' been to pack them with crushed ice inl barrels lor boxes. This method, however, owing to the melting ofl the ice-andthe consequentl gof thel fish, fails to preserve them fresh and good for more than a month at most, whereas by my new method and treatment they can be kept as fresh and sweet as when rst caught, and for any desirable length ofv I do not profess to have invented'the means of producing artificial congelation, nor to have discovered :the fact that no decay takes place in `animal substances 'so longas theyare kept a few'degrees below the freezingpoint of water; .but the/practical application ofthese to the art of preserving fish and meatsfas above de. scribed, is a new and a very valuable timprovement. y

-The apparatus for freezing the sh and keep-- ing them in a frozen state may be constructed y in various ways and of,differentshapes.A ,a The apparatus shown lin the drawing, ihowever, strate the .principleand mode' of operation.

'exclude the air andpre escaping, by evaporation, thereby preserving the same plump and tre'sh'appearance as when first frozen. The fish are then packedclosely together in a large preserving-boXyC, which is inclosed in a still larger box,'B, the space between the' two boxes being -lilled 'with charcoal. or other non-conducting material to ex'- elude heat. Y

Passing through the inner-box are `metallic tubes D, which are open at the upperends for the introduction 4ofa freezin'gfm'ixturathe lower extremitiesbeing formed vwith flanges, whichy are screwed to the bottomfof the-box. A small pipeF leads from theg-bottomfof` each `tube D Ato the outside'o`fthe outergbox, the object of sridpipes bein-g5 todraw. `olf the brine from the tubes Das often asi required. When not Vused for thisfpurpose the pipesare stopped` `by any suitable meansgat their'outer ends.

vent the ljuices from moved at pleasure fojx` the in or taking out the shf.

, A is a box, of wood or other sui table material,

mty-four hours (the onipletely th rough.`

th a ltoating of iceV w times in ice-cold. a brush of about' vided with holes D','through which, when the cover is shut down, the tubes D may project,

so that theymay be charged with the freezingmixture Without opening the box.

The .combined area of the vtubes D may be about'one-fth: that of the-chamber C. By keeping the said tubes filled with the mixture 'of salt and ice the temperature of the preserving-chamber can'be maintained-for any .lengthoftimebelow the freezingypoint, and.

fish surrounded by this dryl and freezing at inosphere will be preserved as fresh' and good as when'irst caught.v and for a much longer period than by any other inethoiiy known to me. l

E E E E are 'small holes for introducinga thermometer to ascertainthe temperature in the chamber.

I do not desire to be understood as conlin ing myself to the use `of the specific apparatus above described, nor `to 'the use? of either or both the preliminary processes of freezing and coating; but I have'described the modeof op eration which by experience Iy have found bestl f 2l v 31.736

for preserving the most delicate-varieties of fish.

In the case-of meats it is not necesary to resort to the coating process, especially beef and pork preserved for salt-packing in warm weather, which can be done by this treatment with no more loss than in the best winter Weather, while the cold pickle or brine of the dissolving salt and ice is ready-made, and' may be drawnoi as'required to pickle ythe barrels after packing the meats, Snc.

Having thus described vmy invention, what fl I claim therein as new, and desire to securev by LettersPatent, is;-v

Preserving fish o r other articles in a lclose chamber by means of a freezing-mixture having no contact with theatmosphere of the preserving-chamber, substantially as set forth.

Y ENOOHv PIPER.

Witnesses:

N'. AMES, l

. GEO. H. SMITH. 

